The Woman in the Bottle
by The Catastrophic Teacup
Summary: Edward finds a mysterious glass bottle in his family’s attic in a box of junk. He takes it, and cleans it, when Bella pops out and tells him something that leaves him astounded... BxE, AH. REWRITE of 'Hopes, Wishes and Wish Granting'
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:** Edward finds a mysterious glass bottle in his family's attic in a box of junk. He takes it, and cleans it, when Bella pops out and tells him something that leaves him astounded... BxE (of course, I would have it no other way), and all human.

**A/N:** Hey guys! I am back from my break (which I hardly consider a break seeing as I spent most of it studying ... *grumbles under breath*) and I decided that, in case you hadn't read the last chapter/author's note of HWWG, or if you are a new reader to this story, that I am rewriting it!

I reread the start of it, and I was cringing before the end of the last paragraph. I don't know how you managed to read it, 'cause I wasn't able to, so that got me thinking about just making a few fixes every now and there.

But, the thing is, when I began making changes to the first chapter, so many new ideas came into my head, and I decided to rewrite the whole thing! I changed their ages (by a few years – younger, that is) and what they'll be doing, acting, etc.

But the main aspects of the story with still be there. I won't mention them in case you haven't read the story before, and are actually bothering to read this horribly long author's note. :D

In case you haven't noticed, I also changed the title of the story. Though the other one was just as appropriate, considering the content of the story, my personal opinion is that 'The Woman in the Bottle' is more fitting, despite its lameness. *smiles widely and goofily at last three words*

Well, I think that's all. I hope you enjoy my new version of the story. I'm certainly liking it better than the other one. If you liked the other one, I hope you find this one even better!

Anyway, I did say I was back from my break, and I am. Temporarily. _So_, I'll be able to get about one or two chapters up (including this one) and then I shall disappear until November. Hey! *puts up hands defensively* I'm finishing up school and these are my major exams. I gotta study!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own 'Twilight'.

**The Woman in the Bottle**

**Bella**

I woke up and stretched, my muscles seeming to sigh in contentment while my joints popped. I was starting yet another day in this cramped prison I have called home for as long as I can remember. Despite the fact that it was luxurious, and accommodating, I despised the feeling of being an animal in a cage that came associated with it.

Standing up from my soft, plush bed, I strode over to the comfortable pillow laden sofa and grabbed my latest book of interest, flopping down on my stomach as I set it up in front of me. I laughed as the antagonist did something foolish, which quickly turned into a sigh as my thoughts took me away from the novel.

My life was so lonely and repetitive. I longed for company, for freedom. Especially freedom. It was something that I knew I could never have. And that thought made me bitter.

Snapping the book shut I stood up and closed my eyes. I relaxed my muscles and cleared my thoughts. I could feel myself calming down almost instantly.

I turned to my wardrobe and changed into something that I thought seemed casual and comfortable. I grabbed the dark blue jeans and tank top before changing into them, replacing my last ensemble.

Despite the fact that I could change quicker using my...abnormal skills, I liked the small sense of normalcy that came when I did things without my magic.

It was also something I did that was kind of like spitting in the face of my superiors.

Wanting to make this day as productive as possible, I sat down at my laptop, applying for online classes in a subject that captured my interest. I had gone through this many, many times since the opportunity arose, and had thus gained, as I would consider, rather impressive knowledge on a vast amount of subjects.

**EPOV**

"Mom, which other boxes need to be sorted through?" I called over to Esme, who was sorting through some old furniture on the other side of the attic. Her back was to me as she peered underneath a large white dusty sheet. The dust rose with the movement and she immediately began coughing to dispel the annoying little particles. But really, knowing Esme, I really didn't understand how she could leave any place in the house to come to this state. She was a perfectionist in everything she did, with no exception to being perfectly clean.

"Uh...go through this one," she replied after recovering from her dust-induced coughing fit. "This stuff kind of accumulated. Most of it was from that garage sale in Chicago that Alice thought was best to waste so much money on a whole hunk of junk." Esme rolled her eyes at that.

I chuckled, shaking my head at the memory. Yes, that was Alice. Our little shopaholic. "Though Emmett did his bit by spurring her on." I laughed as I recalled Alice and Emmett's behaviour that day. Alice had just had a lot of sugar when she had insisted we stop by a garage sale. We had reluctantly let her go, where she sprung from the back seat and began purchasing things at an amazing pace. This was not helped by Emmett's boisterous encouragement of, 'come on, Alice, the money isn't going to spend itself!'

"True, true..." Esme replied distractedly.

I walked over to the box, appropriately labelled 'CRAP', and began sorting. I pulled out an old teddy bear, a children's book, when I came to a nice wooden jewellery box. Handing it to Esme, who smiled as if I had just handed her treasure, I returned to the box where I noticed a glass bottle. It was very beautifully structured, and rather colorful, though it was mainly a deep green color. It had a long neck, widening as it grew longer, and then at the bottom it abruptly bulged out, like a bulb. Sealed with a cork that would not come out, and made out of various thick pieces of glass, it could not be seen into.

"Esme, do you want this?" I asked. I did not want to seem to over-eager, but I liked this bottle. It was very aesthetically pleasing (which we all know is the sophisticated way of saying that it looked pretty). It also had certain character and charm to it.

She turned and, glancing at the bottle in my hands, shook her head and waved a hand in the air as she turned back to the furniture, telling me that I could throw it out, or keep it if I wished. I put it aside and returned to the box.

A few, exhausting hours later, after a quick dinner with Esme and Carlisle, I was headed to the stairs to go to my room.

"Thank you for helping, dear," Esme said as I headed towards the door. Carlisle was standing with an arm around her waist, looking at her adoringly. I smiled at her and nodded.

"Remember, we're having a family lunch tomorrow before you head out to Seattle on Sunday. We're so glad you could stay with us here, son, even if it is only for two nights," Carlisle reminded me, smiling.

When I got to my room, I looked at the few items I had managed to scavenge in the attic. A book filled with my old piano compositions which I had wondered where it had gotten to, an old watch, Esme's beautiful old locket that she had insisted I keep to 'give to my someone special' whilst I had rolled my eyes, and the glass bottle.

I placed them all on my old computer desk, which had nothing on it, and plucked up the bottle which had piqued my curiosity the most. I didn't understand why, though. There was something enchanting about the bottle, even if it was rather grubby. It was very dusty with dirt stubbornly attached to its sides, and could do with a little cleaning. I walked into the ensuite, studying the bottle carefully, and ran it under hot water, washing it with a cloth and soap, removing most of the dust. Then I continued scrubbing it, as underneath the dust was a thin layer of some gritty substance.

I was scrubbing so hard, profanities slipping from my mouth, that I hardly realised when the bottle began to light up and heat up a little. I nearly dropped it when I noticed this, but quickly placed it on the bathroom counter, staring at it wide-eyed. For a little while, I wondered if someone had put some kind of bomb in there and maybe I should throw it outside quickly before it exploded. However, before I could make any movements, something extraordinary happened.

**BPOV**

I was on my laptop, having stopped my studies to procrastinate. After years of doing this, you tend to become very skilled at it. My head was resting on the desk, and my eyelids were drooping...

All of a sudden I was jerked awake from my near-slumber by shaking. The whole room was shaking. Books got dislodged from my bookshelf, the laptop began jittering its way across the desk, inching near the edge before I stopped it, and I stumbled around uselessly, trying to be wary of where I was stepping.

I began to feel nervous, anticipation bubbling inside my chest. Worries surfaced in my mind, wondering if I was going to have to be as cautious as I had when dealing with my last 'masters'. Some were easy, while others...not so much.

I gritted my teeth and scowled, thinking of my last master, James. He had been greedy and cruel. Demanding so much when he was so undeserving. I immediately averted my thoughts elsewhere. His wishes were not something I'd ever want to think about again, nor their consequences.

The shaking became more violent, causing me to stumble around, and I knocked my knee into the coffee table and then fell on my backside.

"Oh, for the _love of all that's holy_!" I cried out, through clenched teeth, exasperated, clutching at my knee as it throbbed. I closed my eyes, willing the pain to disappear, and it slowly faded away. I cursed the fact that I was unable to rid of my clumsiness...

**EPOV**

I continued to stare at the bottle, as it began to shake slightly. Then –

"Oh, for the _love of all that's holy_!" I heard a muted female voice utter from inside the bottle. The voice was muffled, but it still scared me. I began to question my own sanity... hearing voices coming out of bottles certainly was not an ordinary daily occurrence.

Suddenly there was a _POP_ and a girl about my age was standing in front of me with a blank expression on her face. She had mahogany hair that fell to the middle of her back, and beautiful deep, chocolate brown eyes. The girl – or young woman, I should say – was wearing a those unusual poofy pants in which the flimsy material came loosely out from her waist, but joined together to cling at her ankles. Her top was similar to a tight tank top which didn't even cover her midriff, and it had the same flimsy, loose material over the top, bunching at the hem. Both items were varying shades of pink. Her whole outfit seemed to look like the genie from the show, 'I dream of Jeannie'. She also had what looked like bracelets, bound tightly to identical places on both her upper arms.

Snapping out of my stupor, I slightly shook my head and looked pointedly at her, trying to prompt some explanation as to her abrupt appearance, and out of a bottle no less. She didn't see my expression as she wasn't even looking at me, but at her clothes, with a small frown on her face.

I cleared my throat.

Her eyes flashed up to me and she blushed a deep red. "Uh...hi," she said hesitantly. "I'm Bella...and well...uh... you have five wishes." Then she smiled brightly at me, though it looked put on.

My eyes widened as I took in her words, and I wondered how my subconscious could come up with such a bizarre dream.

From the look on my face, Bella decided to elaborate further. She chuckled nervously and began playing with the hem of her very short shirt. She seemed to be trying to pull it down more. Then her eyes snapped up to meet mine.

"Yes, well, you see, I'm a genie."

**

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A/N:** So, this is the first part I have rewritten.

Please review and share your thoughts.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I don't own 'Twilight'.

**Woman in the Bottle**

**Bella**

I was disgruntled that my clothes had, _yet again_, changed when I left my bottle.

I say 'again' because it happened every time I was _summoned_, which irritated me to no end. The clothes were the stereotypical genie kind; uncomfortable and demeaning. I frowned and wondered if Aro just based the costume off the show to suit what people would expect.

I was snapped out of my thoughts by a man clearing his throat. A man who looked like an angel – or a God.

Ok, maybe I exaggerate. But then again, maybe I don't. He was beautiful and elegant. With reddish-brown – I guess it could be labelled as bronze... – hair and straight, perfect features, and a nice toned body. However, what really drew me in were his startlingly green eyes.

The beautiful man looked at me sceptically.

"I'm sorry, _what_?" he asked with an incredulous look on his face. He pinched himself, then shook his head when he realised this was, indeed, not a dream. I found all this rather amusing to watch.

In the back of my mind, I was vaguely aware of memories of James when I entered his life. His leering, his propositions, the resulting, large, red handprint on his cheek... I smirked inwardly at that last one.

"I said I was a genie," I replied quietly, taking in my surroundings as I answered him. I was in an ensuite bathroom; I could see a bedroom through the door, but I couldn't make out much of it as it was rather dark.

"Can you prove it?" Adonis replied curiously, but I didn't miss the challenging tone.

I chuckled softly. This had happened before. I didn't really mind doing something to prove my powers as I loved watching their reactions.

"Didn't my entrance _or_ ensemble give it away?"

"I suppose, but could you please just humor me?" He was starting to get exasperated. I could understand, what with having someone who appeared to resemble a psychopath dressed in a genie's costume claiming you have five wishes.

I shrugged and, deciding to go with something simple, I closed my eyes and placed my forearms on one another and nodded my head with a sharp jerk, almost adding an eye roll for the dramatics, causing a plate of cookies to appear on the counter in the bathroom besides the glass bottle that contained my home.

I leaned against the counter and took a cookie to nibble on while I looked at his face. His eyes widened, glancing between me and the plate of baked goods every few seconds. After a bit, he chuckled, but it seemed strained.

"Wow, you really go all out don't you? The clothes and the head nod. Very _I dream of Jeannie_."

I grimaced and shrugged. "It's all for dramatic effect." I didn't really need to nod my head or do anything special. Just close my eyes and _will_ it to happen...

I instantly changed back into my jeans and t-shirt. I laughed quietly to myself as after a few seconds he finally registered my new appearance, doing a double take.

"Wow. This is just all so...surreal," he murmured, continuing to look at my clothes. Or maybe he was checking me out. I began to feel uncomfortable under his unrelenting gaze.

He noticed and shot me an apologetic look while his cheeks lit up with a soft pink. His blush was endearing, and I assumed it had indeed meant that he was checking me out. It was flattering that someone like him would check me out.

"So, now you've wrapped your head around the idea of me being a genie, would you like to fill me in on your name?" I asked with no rudeness, but just curiosity.

"Oh, right. Edward. My name's Edward Cullen."

He grabbed one of the chocolate chip cookies from the plate and took a bite, turning to walk back into his room. He hesitated, chewing, before turning around and grabbing the entire plate and walking out of the bathroom.

I stood there, frozen, wondering what this meant. I stayed there, awkwardly, before shrugging to myself and following him out, finishing my cookie.

I noticed the cookies on a desk with a few other items so I grabbed another one, devouring it, missing the taste of food. It wasn't something that I really needed all too much when doing nothing in a bottle, so I rarely had any.

Edward was sitting on his bed, staring into space, eating a cookie from one hand, while holding two more in his other. I leant against the desk and silently watched him.

His head abruptly snapped to me, startling me.

"Did you just made those cookies appear here, just like that?" he asked after swallowing, clicking his fingers at the '_that'_.

"Yeah..." I shrugged. He had witnessed it.

"So could you do it with anything...like animals or plants or something?" he asked curiously. What was he getting at?

I willed a cockatoo to appear just as one landed on my shoulder. It took off and flew around his room for a few seconds before I willed it away so it would not destroy anything.

Edward was gaping at where the cockatoo had just disappeared. I smirked. This was rather entertaining.

"But how could you do that? I mean... I don't know, ever heard of spontaneous generation and how that was proved untrue?" Edward asked incredulously.

I laughed. He was going all scientific on me and I couldn't help myself. After a minute I replied, "Yes, but I did not create that bird. I simply take them from somewhere else on the globe. Those cookies, for example, probably came from someone's kitchen or a bakery or something. I could have made them from scratch, using ingredients from a plethora of places, but that would have taken more concentration and energy."

He didn't respond. His eyes were just raking over my face with... awe.

"So then what's the deal with genies? Five wishes, just like that? I mean, that's really great and all but there's no catch? You aren't going to make me fill in a survey or subscribe to something are you?" Edward half-joked, chuckling. He finished off his cookies and looked at me attentively.

"Uh, yeah, pretty much. No catch. So let's get started, shall we? Or do you want to think about it?" I was sure he would want to think about it. Most people did. The most irresponsible one was a girl named Bree from the 70s who had used up her wishes within minutes... I chuckled quietly to myself.

Edward looked at me curiously when I laughed. I liked this guy. And I hadn't talked to anyone in years, which was always the case, so if the person was nice enough, I tended to befriend them before I was on my way again. So I told him vaguely of Bree and how she had hardly lasted long. It was a kind of warning, and a piece of advice wrapped into one. Take your wishes seriously as they could alter your life.

"The _1970s_? How old are you? How did... how ... wha...?" He was looking at me dumbstruck, with awe-filled eyes, which I was getting a lot of tonight. It was not surprising seeing as what I am, but I resented my job. No so-called glory or luxury that came with the job was worth what I had been through so far.

I figured now was the time to fill him in on the rules, and the facts.

"First, yes, the 1970s," I clarified. "Secondly , I am eighteen. Thirdly, well, I am immortal. I have been around for a long time. I have had many masters and I have done this for as long as I can remember. Now for the rules-"

"As long as you can remember? How did you become a... genie?" Edward asked, hesitating on the last word, as if contemplating whether it was offensive, or..._demeaning_ would probably be a better word. And I guess virtually being a slave to grant people's wishes for eternity was rather demeaning.

I paused, thinking about my answer. How? I could not remember that fact.

"I can't remember how I came to this life. I can remember a few parts of my pre-genie life," I murmured, reminiscing all I could. Like my mother's crazy yet loveable antics. And my father's crinkly smile. But I could not remember what linked that life to my current lifestyle. I looked down, sighing. "I have been around for several decades, at least, leaning onto a century."

"Wow..." Edward said, looking at me with wide eyes.

I chuckled at his reaction, but changed the subject back to the rules. They were important.

"Now, I should explain the rules..." I trailed off, looking back up at him. He nodded, and straightened up slightly, leaning on his forearms which rested on his knees. Shaking myself out of ogling his lean, muscular figure, I began listing them on my fingers and willed my telltale blush away. "Okay, so you get five wishes, you cannot wish for anything crazy like world domination or for someone to just drop dead, or ... you can't wish for anything that affects someone's will power. Like ... wishing someone to jump off a bridge or something," I suggested, and he chuckled.

"You do not have any time limit with your wish making. You cannot assault the wish granter – i.e. myself – or there _will_ be consequences. Also, no wishing for more wishes, or any nonsense like that. And when you use up your wishes you cannot give the bottle to a friend or anything. I get sent off to somewhere else in the world to be found, so it really wouldn't work...

"And, anything else I think of I'll tell you. I mean, I can get the rule book out..." I smiled at him.

Edward raised an eyebrow but shook his head then yawned. "Well, I'm going to head off to bed now." He looked at me, then at my bottle which was sitting on the counter in his bathroom still. "Uh..."

I sighed. It was uncomfortable squeezing in and out of the bottle, but he didn't seem to want me around, nor did I want to prolong either of our discomfort, so I decided it best to be off.

"I'll see you later," I said, slightly disappointed that I had to return to it so soon. "Just give me a yell if you know what to wish for." I didn't stay a moment longer before I re-entered by glass container.

I tensed as my body became small, squeezing through the neck of the bottle. I felt the tightness around my limbs and chest, then finally my head as I shrunk and entered my home, all the while grimacing at the feeling. When I was in, I plopped onto my bed and stared up at domed ceiling. It was the green glass of the bottle, but it was very thick so I could not see outside of it.

After the encounter with Edward, I didn't feel up to sleeping. Too much had happened...well, more so than the usual day around here.

I was yearning to go out and join him again. I mean, not because I wanted to _join him_, but because that it came with a sense of freedom when leaving the bottle. Without a master, I wouldn't be able to do it at all. It was like I had a seal that prevented me from visiting the outside world when I didn't have someone's wishes to tend to. But I guessed that was the purpose of the cork. It was usually there until some fortunate soul stumbled upon the world of genies.

I wondered more about Edward. I didn't know anything about him, but I didn't want to intrude into his life but randomly summoning information about him. Sure, I had the power to do so, but I wouldn't. It wasn't my place, and not necessarily my concern.

Kicking off my shoes, I let them fall and tumble on the floor at the foot of my bed. My beaten up black Chucks lay strewn haphazardly on the beautifully delicate, hand woven Persian rug.

I felt too worked up about this new situation. Just like last time. I was on edge the past few times I had masters. It was no thanks to James.

Giving off an exasperated growl to the direction of my thoughts, I pressed my palms over my eyes and watched as the colours appear behind my eyelids, forming different patterns and shapes. When it got too uncomfortable, I ceased the pressure and ran my fingers through my long hair, relaxing myself infinitesimally.

"Bella," I heard someone whisper. I jumped in fright, also having been jolted from near slumber, and stood up confusedly.

"Uh...Bella, are you in there?" the person asked. "Of course she's in there, idiot. You saw her go in there. But then again, it's a bottle. Who could safely say someone is in a bottle the size of a fist?" he began talking to himself, and I let out a laugh at his thoughts.

"Aha! I knew you were in there," he now addressed me, having heard my laugh. I could picture him pointing at the bottle with a victorious expression on his face and laughed again.

I braced myself, and left the bottle again, appearing behind Edward, who spun around and placed a hand over his chest.

"Really, you should warn someone before popping up in front of them like that." I nodded at him distracted before walking around his room, curiously looking around. It didn't have much in it.

"You don't have much," I stated.

"I know."

"Why not?"

"I'm just visiting my parent's house. I don't live here. I've got a small apartment in Seattle, about four hours drive from here."

"Oh," I replied lamely. "So where are we now?" It's not like I'm able to track my location. I would like to, however, just out of interest.

"A small, rainy town called Forks," he said, chuckling. I didn't really notice until then, the sound of rain patter against the window. It was too dark to see out, but I was able to see, due to the dim glow of light, rain drops streak down the glass. There was a lot of it, too. The whole wall seemed to be just glass, so it must have meant seeing a lot of rain.

There was a knock on the door before a woman's voice called out, "Edward?" The door suddenly began to open.

"Wait, mom, I'm ... changing!" Edward called out abruptly. The door quickly shut. I snickered quietly.

"Sorry, dear. I was just wondering who you were speaking to?"

Edward sighed and waited a moment before grabbing my wrist and pulling me so that I stood behind the door so if it opened I would still be concealed in the darkness. He opened it slightly and stuck his head out, a sliver of light falling from the hallway through the open door and landing on the carpet of his room.

"Hey mom, sorry what did you want?" he asked politely.

"Well, I heard you speaking, and I didn't know if you were speaking to Alice or Emmett, because I wanted to speak to them too, so..." she trailed off.

"Uh, yeah. I was speaking to Alice. She said she was looking forward to seeing you guys tomorrow." He shifted awkwardly next to me.

"Oh," the woman said, but you could hear the smile in her voice. I assumed that this was his mother. I didn't know who Alice or Emmett were though. Perhaps they were his siblings?

"Well, alright," she continued. "If you speak to them again, tell them I miss them."

Edward nodded, bidding her goodnight before closing the door and turning to me.

It was silent for a moment before he spoke. "That was my mother."

I nodded, biting my lip to stop my smile. "And how exactly were you changing and talking to Alice simultaneously?"

He laughed and shrugged, moving deeper into his room again, away from the door. "I guess I am just a very skilled multi-tasker."

I just rolled my eyes in response with an amused smile.

"Alice and Emmett are my siblings. They're coming over for lunch tomorrow," he paused. "And I should tell you that we're all heading back out to Seattle the day after."

I was glad he was telling me this, but I was curious as to why. The other masters I'd had just had me around when they were making a wish.

"Why are you telling me this?" I wondered.

"Don't you want to know?" he countered, confused.

"Well, yes, but..." I didn't really know how to finish that sentence.

"And you don't really want to be trapped in that glass bottle, do you?" He raised an eyebrow challenging me.

I huffed. Why didn't he answer me instead of being evasive and cryptic with his train of thought?

"What do you suggest I do then?"

He flushed a faint pink and smiled nervously, before turning his face away and seemingly rolled his eyes at himself. "You can stay with me. What I mean is in the apartment, not the...you know, bottle." He gestured to my bottle.

I froze, surprised. That was certainly different, but welcome. That is, the hospitality. Others just made me stay in the bottle. Edward's chivalrous offer really warmed me some. I smiled warmly at him.

"If you're sure I won't be an imposition. I really appreciate it. Thank you, Edward." I was grateful that karma decided to attempt to right its many wrongs by sending me to Edward, but it certainly had a lot to make up for.

**

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A/N:** With the whole Esme knocking before immediately entering without waiting for a response? Yeah, my parents do that and it pisses the hell out of me. I mean, what if I was indecent or something? Sheesh. Does this happen to anyone else?

Sorry for the wait between chapters. I know you want shorter periods before a new update, but it's hard when I have a lot to do. In November, I shall be as free as a bird, so faster updates.

Thanks for the reviews for chapter one. I'm hoping we can go for a few more this chapter? Tell me what you like about the chapter, or the story so far, or something. I'd really like some feedback, not just an 'update soon'. Please. I'd be ever so grateful! :D


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own 'Twilight'.

**Woman in the Bottle**

**Bella**

"Do you mind if I eat in here?" I asked politely.

Edward shrugged. "Go ahead."

It was mid morning and Edward was waiting for Alice, Emmett and their significant others to arrive. After I had returned to my bottle last night, I had slept like a log and was up bright and early in the morning only to have to wait around a while before I felt it safe to peer out of my lodgings and go into Edward's bedroom.

He had gone downstairs to eat breakfast, promising me that he'd be back soon, hoping I wouldn't get bored. I smiled at his sweetness. I'd been alone with nothing of importance to do for several years, and I didn't think that a few more hours would really hurt.

So here we were, Edward sitting on the bed, staring emotionlessly out the window. I was leaning against his desk, one hand supporting a large plate of pancakes, bacon, eggs, and toast while the other held a fork, guiding its vicious swipes at the food. A large glass of orange juice sat next to me on his desk.

The silence was getting to me, and since the opportunity to speak with someone normally came up after so long, I was going to try to take full advantage of that.

"So what is it you do in Seattle?" I asked with genuine interest between mouthfuls of food.

My voice seemed to snap Edward out of his stupor and he glanced over at me. "I attend Seattle Uni. I'm pre-med."

I nodded, humming in acknowledgement, as my mouth was once again full. Once it was empty, I asked, "How old are you?" before I had to bite back a moan as another forkful of food entered my mouth.

Edward watched me amusedly. "Twenty."

"Tell me about your siblings?" I was wondering what was up with his short answers. He seemed like a good guy, from what I could tell, and I wanted to speak with him, though I didn't want to pry.

"Well, there's Emmett and Alice, as you know. They are similar in personality. Both energetic, enthusiastic, yet really lovable. Emmett is like a bear, but once you get past his intimidating size, you'd see what kind of bear he really is." Edward smirked, probably at some kind of private joke. "Alice is a ball of energy. She is like on the other end of the size scale to Emmett. Short, but cute. You'll really like them when you meet them."

I froze at his words. Meet them?

"You'd want me to meet them?" I asked incredulously. My fork was stationary in the air with pancake falling off it, my eyes were wide, and I was sure my mouth was hanging open a little bit.

"Well, yeah." He shifted awkwardly under my gaze. "Because if you don't, that's absolutely fine, I mean, I don't know what you want to do while you're here, or what you usually do with your time, so if you can't or don't want to, then I –"

I laughed quietly – not wanting to alert his parents to my presence – which shut him up. He was blushing again, and my heart warmed. It really was an endearing quality.

"I'd love to meet them. And what I do is absolutely nothing interesting. Really. This is probably all the excitement I am going to get for the next decade," I assured him, chuckling slightly, but he frowned. "But you'll have to set ground rules with what you're comfortable with, whether you don't want me out and about, and stuff like that." I seriously hoped he would be lenient with those things.

Edward gaped at me at the last part. Now it was my turn to shift uncomfortably under his intense gaze. His green eyes pierced into me, seeming to read me, every emotion that flickered across my face, every little body shift I made.

"What?"

"Why would _I_ be setting rules?" he asked disbelievingly, still watching me closely. "I'm the one who gets five wishes, what more should I complain about?" He shook his head, the look of incredulity still plastered on his face.

"Well, _some_," I said, thinking back to other people I had granted wishes for and tapping my fork against my lower lip, "didn't want me seen by anyone." Edward glowered at nothing in particular, and I confusedly raised an eyebrow but continued, nevertheless. "Usually they couldn't really find an explanation as to who I was in relation to them. I mean, I could've easily not been seen with them, you know, not taken the doors and what not, but they didn't want to risk it," I explained. "Or they just didn't want me there," I finished and laughed at the expression on his face again before stabbing a piece of bacon with the fork. He was pissed off, but it had changed so rapidly that I couldn't help but find it amusing.

He huffed and turned his head so he was looking out the window again while I finished eating. When I was done I made the plate disappear and started drinking my juice slowly, watching him.

After a moment he turned back to look at me, and I blushed being caught staring, but didn't turn away.

"You can meet my family and friends. I'd like you to. You'll probably be with me for a while...I mean, five wishes? I don't even know what I want..." His eyes flickered outside again and he rested his chin on his hand, propped up on his knee.

The sound of tyres crunching on gravel outside alerted us to a car arriving. It was soon followed by another.

Swallowing the last of my juice, the glass disappeared and Edward stood up. He glanced at me and smiled. "I guess that's them."

I nodded. It was silent a moment before I added, "Go have fun."

This time he nodded, however, he didn't move to turn away. The silence stretched on and it became a little awkward.

"If you hear anyone approaching, hide, okay?" he asked, looking at me apologetically.

"Okay," I whispered, and he walked out the door, shutting it softly behind him.

I stood there, not knowing what to do with his absence. I heard his footsteps descend down the stairs to the lower level, and then proceed on another staircase. I wondered how large this house was.

Tip-toeing over to the door, I pressed my ear against it and listened closely. I was having difficulties discerning the sounds from one another; the opening of a door, the slur of words, footsteps on hardwood floor.

My patience was wearing thin on me, so I hesitantly touched the door handle, deliberating. I could go down, and hide in the shadows, like the nosy person I seem to be, or I could wait obediently.

I didn't want to anger Edward, should he find out that I left and he retract his permission to go out in public when we got back to Seattle. But nor did I want to sit, being possessed with boredom.

So I decided on a compromise between the two.

Grasping the handle between my hands, I stilled and listened for any footsteps nearby. I could still hear the muffled sounds from downstairs, so, satisfied, I gently pulled the handle down and let the door slide open. I prayed it wouldn't creak. Soon it stood slightly ajar, and the sound quality was quite the improvement.

I sat down next to the door and placed my left ear near the opening, and began listening.

First, it seemed to be the greetings of his siblings and their significant others to the rest of his family. They made polite small talk about the drive over.

"So you took two cars?" asked Edward.

There was an awkward silence, which I couldn't interpret, not being able to read their faces.

"No, Edward," replied an enchanting feminine voice. "Jasper and I rode in the back with Rose and Emmett."

The silence continued until it was broken by Edward.

"What aren't you telling me, Alice?" he all but growled. A moment later, "Why are you all looking at each other like that?" he snapped.

"Now, now, let's not blow this out of proportion, dear," replied the woman I recognised from her voice as Edward's mother. "Tanya hasn't seen the family in a long while and Carlisle and I thought it would be nice if she visit."

I could almost feel the tension reverberate from the lower level of the house, all the way back up to Edward's room. I listened more closely, wondering who this Tanya was and why Edward seemed so upset at her visit. They spoke more quietly now, either whispering, or in Edward's case, due to his anger, hissing.

Another moment passed and the front door opened. The quiet talking stopped abruptly, before it turned into more welcomes.

The rain picked up, sending rivers to run down the window, the patters to become louder. It became harder to hear, so I quietly closed the door and leaned against it and put my head in my hands while I thought.

I thought about what I had found. I didn't know who Tanya was, nor what was the meaning behind Edward's sudden shift in demeanour.

I decided it didn't matter. It was none of my business and I was being too nosy.

I stood up and began walking about his room. There is nothing much to account for his presence but a duffel bag with clothes in it, a book on his nightstand, and on the desk was a worn, faded looking moleskin notebook, a locket, a watch, and my glass bottle.

My fingers tenderly traced the edges of the moleskin notebook, as if it were something important. As if it housed secrets beneath its covers. My breathing quickened as my curiosity got the better of me and I flipped the cover open.

I was very wrong. Way off. But what I found was something infinitely more sacred and precious. It was beautiful, really. There were pages and pages of handwritten compositions, scrawls littering the edges of the pages.

Among them, I found one entitled 'Esme's Favorite'. I couldn't read music, but I noted from the array of notes scattered along the lines that it was a very complex piece. My respect and admiration for Edward grew a little bit more with this discovery. But I couldn't help but wonder who Esme was.

I continued flipping the pages, and noted the dates. They were from a few years ago, and abruptly stopped midway through the book. I wondered why he stopped composing, or if he hadn't, why he wasn't doing so in this book.

Closing the book, I suddenly felt I was intruding by looking through his things. Like I was forcing my way into his life by finding out more about him. I felt guilty and my shoulders hunched slightly underneath this unfamiliar feeling as I stepped away from the desk, away from temptation.

Instead, I moved to his nightstand. I moved slowly and quietly, pausing next to the door to listen for anyone approaching. Since I had closed the door, I hadn't heard a sound, and I wondered what they were up to. Eating a nice lunch? Making friendly conversation? Sharing all the news of their past memories, their present, and their future lives?

Their future. Something that I knew I could never be a part of.

My feet moved soundlessly as I walked the rest of the way to the nightstand over the plush carpet. I couldn't get over how soft it was. It was as soft as the Persian rug in my bottle, and felt heavenly under my feet.

I picked up the book, figuring that it probably was the least personal thing that I could find in Edward's room that would entertain me. I knew I could make something come to me, but I didn't like to use my powers when it wasn't absolutely necessary.

It was a classic which I was fond of, so, smiling happily, I walked back to the door and sat down next to it. I opened it again, so it sat ajar, and then opened the book on my lap before I got lost in another world.

I was shifted from my thoughts when I heard footsteps coming from the last staircase. I gasped and jumped up, running to place the book on the nightstand again before running around the room to enter the bathroom and push the door so that I could peek out from behind it.

"I closed this..." I heard the voice of my master mutter as the room was soaked in light again as Edward pushed the door open to allow his entry. He shut it behind him before he called out for me. "Bella?" he whispered, looking around the room.

I sighed in relief and stepped out of the shadows in the bathroom before smiling and walking into the room, leaning against the wall across from him.

I smiled. "So...how was it?" I asked, curious to know the outcome of what I'd heard earlier.

He shrugged nonchalantly, walking over to sit on his bed, avoiding my eyes. "Fine, I guess." I could tell he was hiding something, and though it wasn't my business, my curiosity, piqued after everything I had heard occurring earlier, did not let me drop the subject.

"_Really_?" I pressed.

"Yep."

"Are you _sure_?" I asked, hoping I didn't seem like a pushy, whiny little brat. As much as I wanted to know, I didn't want to ruin any possible friendship from developing by putting him off with my inquisitiveness.

He frowned now, meeting my eyes for a moment before averting his own again.

"Yes, I'm sure," he said. "Why are you acting like this?"

I froze and wondered why I was indeed. It was none of my business, but somehow had tried to make it so by listening in. Was I to admit that I was eavesdropping? Or act as if it was hard not to hear... I decided being vague was the best option.

"I ... happened to overhear when they arrived," I started off hesitantly. It was a plausible explanation; they were only at the bottom of the staircases, and not in another room.

"Oh?" Edward raised an eyebrow, urging me on.

"Yes, well. You seemed...unhappy about the arrival of a particular individual." I observed by cuticles, holding them out in front of me as if what we were talking about were of the most trivial nature, thus not requiring hardly any attention.

"So you were eavesdropping?" He didn't sound upset.

I met his gaze and blushed. "Well," I hedged, "it was hard _not_ to hear." Not that I could've easily ignored it, but as in it was hard for me to resist listening in. I suddenly felt embarrassed and ashamed. He seemed to have turned the tables, so he was the one interrogating me, rather than vice versa as I had intended it.

"So that was why the door was open, was it?" he asked, still not sounding upset, but I was still unable to read the expression on his face.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so nosy," I mumbled, by act dissipating instantly. My head dropped in shame and I prepared to go into my bottle when Edward spoke up.

"Bella, it's—"

_Knock, knock_.

The door started opening immediately, _again_, and I quickly fled into my bottle.

I was very jumpy after the second near discovery by one of Edward's family and/or friends so I paced my room. One hand was on my hip while I gently nibbled on the fingertip of my other hand. I walked on the soft Persian rug, watching my feet follow the line on the pattern, but not straying from my course.

It was so tempting to listen in again, but after what I'd done earlier, I didn't feel like I should. Edward would probably suspect that I had anyway.

So instead, I tried to rein in my nerves before...heck, I didn't even know when I'd see him. Would he want to see me if he suspected that I was just some nosy girl who came along in a bottle who just became a nuisance?

My pacing slowed down and I sat on my bed, leaning forward to rest my elbows on my knees and place my face in my hands. I stared blankly in front of me, thinking it were best to push all thoughts and doubts out of my mind. I was unsuccessful, and they continued their assault.

I eventually rolled onto my side on the edge of the bed, pulling my knees up to my chest. I didn't know how long it had been since I'd entered my own room, but I was upset that I'd already most likely ruined any hope of forming some kind of friendship with my new master.

I had never really befriended many of my previous masters and wondered what made Edward so different. This led to my next question.

Was it worth it?

**

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A/N:** Hey guys. Thanks for your reviews! So, most of my exams have passed (yes, most, not all), and I have practically a week before my next one, so I was lazy and bored (to study, that is) so I decided to post a chapter! Yeah....

Please review and, who knows? The next chapter may be up a little sooner than intended.

Yes, that's right. I'm not above a little bribery. *laughs manically*


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I do not own 'Twilight'.

**Woman in the Bottle**

**Bella**

I scrunched my nose up in distaste as I recognised that malicious smirk. The devious lips lifted up as he bared his dirtying teeth in what was supposed to be a smile.

Just as he was opening his mouth to say something, my attention was pulled away from the fiend as I heard an angel calling my name. I didn't understand; this angel could not possibly belong in the same realm as the Satan incarnate that was situated before me.

The longer I tried to gather my confused thoughts, the more the image of James faded before me. I was relieved, but was jolted when the angelic voice became louder.

"Bella?! Please come out! I need to speak with you," Edward said urgently from the opening of my bottle. I scrambled off the edge of the bed again, unaware of how long I had been sleeping, and stood directly underneath the neck of the bottle, looking up.

I could see part of his green eye, trying to look for me. He wouldn't be able to see me, but I had a clear view of anything that came within a few inches of the top of the bottle. Which was basically nothing.

"I'm coming," I said so he could hear and his eye disappeared from view.

When I appeared in front of him, he was sitting on his bed again. Rain was no longer pelting against the window and it seemed to be lighter. It was hard to judge what time of day it was considering I could not really tell where the sun was located in the sun due to the cloud cover.

My gaze flittered from the window back to Edward who was sitting on his bed and watching me curiously. He hadn't said anything and I couldn't tell if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"So...what's up?" I asked to break the silence which was putting me on edge.

He finally smiled and relaxed minutely. "Well, I'm about to drive back to Seattle. The others are just getting their stuff together and we're going to drive off together."

My brows furrowed together in confusion but I gave him a terse nod.

"What time is it?" I asked.

He looked at his watch. "Nine."

"Okay."

There was silence in which I avoided his gaze.

"Why didn't you come back out after Tanya left last night?" he asked. So it was Tanya who was in his room. I still wasn't aware of whom she was in relation to him and why it all of a sudden seemed expected of me to come in and out of my bottle.

"I didn't know you wanted me to," I said quietly, still not looking at him. "I'm sorry I was listening last night. I didn't mean to make you mad or upset or...something..." I turned and gave him a strange look.

Edward chuckled and shook his head. "It really doesn't matter. I don't mind. It wasn't anything important anyway. And, well, I thought you'd come back because we hadn't finished our discussion."

"Oh. Right."

"Mmm."

"Okay...well, let's get on it, then," I said slowly.

"I think the issue is resolved."

"It is?"

He smiled. "If I can recall correctly, we were talking about your eavesdropping."

I exhaled sharply. "Okay, so is that all you wanted to talk about, or should I go now?" I asked impatiently.

"No!" he said too quickly. He smiled sheepishly and began drawing patterns with his finger on his jeans. He watched the movement of his finger as he answered. "I actually also wanted to discuss the happenings of last night. The family dinner," he specified when I gave him a questioning look.

I nodded before there was another knock at the door.

Edward quickly flung out his hand in a gesture to tell me to stay. I shrugged and relaxed.

He moved quickly, yet with more grace than seemed possible, to the door and opened it a bit to greet whoever was there. I smirked, thinking that people were _finally_ waiting for a response before entering uninvited.

"Edward, everyone is ready," a male drawled in a southern accent. "Are you done packing?"

"Yeah, Jazz, I'll be right there. Just something else I have to put in my bag."

This 'Jazz' character left and Edward shut the door and turned back to me.

He seemed to sigh in relief at the sight of me. "Oh, good. You're still there."

"Well, you _did_ tell me not to go." I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms.

He shrugged. "I didn't know whether you'd listen."

I decided not to dignify that with a response; as if I was incapable of listening to instruction. I waited for him to say something.

"Right, so. I think I'll tell you what I needed to tell you in the car, if you want to ride in the car, or in Seattle if you don't. I don't have enough time to explain now. We have to leave."

"Okay," I smiled at him, choosing to ride in the car with him since that seemed to be an option. "I'll ride with you in the car."

He nodded, his smile growing. "I'll tell you when you can come out, ok?"

"Sure," I said before disappearing back into my bottle.

It wasn't long before I heard Edward call out for me. I assumed he was in his car, driving or something. My excitement was growing for finally being outside of not just my bottle, but of Edward's bedroom. I launched out of my bottle, appearing on the passenger seat of Edward's car. I eagerly looked beyond the windows only to note that we were parked on the gravel by the side of the road. I frowned.

"Well, hello to you too," Edward laughed.

I mumbled something in acknowledgement and turned to him.

"So what was it you needed to say?" I questioned distractedly.

"Right." His tone brought my attention back to him. He seemed nervous. "Okay, well, so, the reason why I was upset with my family when I knew of Tanya's company was because they always try to set her up with me." He sighed and laid his head back on the headrest to look at the ceiling of his car. "I've never liked her in that way. There was always encouragement, but I never even thought of the option of her and I..."

I nodded and hummed in understanding, while wondering what his point was.

He lifted his head up and looked at me with an unfathomable expression. I didn't know what he was thinking and hadn't a clue. I could only hope that no trouble would arise...

"So this is where I need your help," he said and my eyes widened in response. "Wait," he quickly added. "Just hear me out first, okay?" When I murmured a 'fine', he continued talking at a relatively quick pace, which I came to recognise as something he did when he was agitated, nervous or frustrated. Being the observant one that I am, I tended to pick these things up quickly. "When we were eating lunch yesterday my parents were making not so subtle attempts of setting Tanya and I up again. Since she was sitting right there in front of me, I didn't want to say something that might hurt her feelings, you know? Like that I didn't want to because I'm not attracted to her. I mean, she is _attractive_, but as I said, I don't feel that way about her. So, she'd want to know why...Everything would get all awkward. And I wouldn't appreciate that when it could be avoided." My lips were tugging at the corners as I watched him spew this out and he met my eyes again, having looked away throughout his ramblings.

"What?"

"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked.

"Edward," I said with a smile, "what is it you are trying to ask me?"

Edward chuckled nervously and looked away. His eyes darted to me again before darting away. He cleared his throat and relaxed his shoulders a bit, which had tensed, and spoke with more confidence.

"There is also the issue of you staying at my place." My face fell at the word 'issue'. I didn't want to burden him with my presence and feel like I was somehow wheedling my way into his life, invading his personal space. Not noticing my unhappy demeanour, he continued speaking. "We just need an explanation as to who you are in relation to myself, and to kill to two birds with one stone... Well, Bella, would you mind if you acted like my girlfriend for a little while?"

I stared at him with a stunned expression, and I was certain that my jaw had dropped.

"I-I-I...uh...well," I managed to stutter out, flustered. My face was flaming and I knew that it wasn't like he had asked me to be his real girlfriend, the lack of experience in this area made me feel nervous and uncertain about how to react.

Edward immediately backpedalled. "I mean, if you don't feel comfortable doing that, or something...I'm sorry, I guess I just didn't think about it before I suggested it."

It wasn't that I felt uncomfortable about what he asked me, just surprised. I was honoured that someone like him would ask someone like me to be his girlfriend. Even if it was fake. I was good enough to be considered his fake girlfriend! I knew this was untrue, but I couldn't help the oncoming eye roll, and the chuckle that resonated inside me. However, I stifled it to prevent Edward looking at me as if I was crazy, then went about to reassure him.

"It's fine, Edward," I smiled shyly at him and tentatively reaching out to pat his hand before stopping myself and redirecting its course to push a tendril of hair behind my ear. I was too awkward to participate in even basic human interactions like giving him a reassuring hand pat. I could feel frustration and disappointment at myself building from within.

"I can act as your girlfriend for the duration of my stay," I told him, quashing any other thought that would distract the current line of conversation. "It's not a big deal; you just caught me off guard."

I didn't know if the fist part of the last sentence was a lie or not. I didn't mind acting as his girlfriend, so that wasn't a big deal, but it also was, as I had no experience in that sort of thing and it would be a first for me.

Edward looked at me sceptically. "You don't have to do this, you know. We can always come up with some other explanation." He let out a breath of air while he looked out the windscreen. "I mean, it was only a suggestion."

"Really, Edward, I can do it." The certainty of my tone made his head turn to me and he watched me for a second before his face relaxed into a smile.

"If you're sure," he said.

"I am," I replied, and he turned on the engine of the car. It purred and my previously forgotten excitement came rushing back at the sight seeing that I was about to do.

The drive was pretty much silent the whole trip back to Edward's apartment. I was happily watching everything that passed by, my eyes drinking in the new scenery, every last detail. I couldn't wait until I could get out there on my own to do whatever I pleased.

He drove rather fast and we passed many cars on the way. It was a little bit frightening, but I didn't think it was my place to tell him how fast to drive. He was already giving me a lot of allowances for someone of my kind, and I didn't want to push it.

Eventually we made it to the car ferry which took us across to Seattle. Edward expertly drove through the streets while I watched the people meandered about, seeming to have a lack of purpose for the Sunday, entering shops, eating at a cafe, stopping to talk with their fellow pedestrians...

Edward pulled into an underground car-park and eventually pulled into a spot that had labelled on the wall '1406'. There was another space to the right of his car with the same number in front of it, and I assumed that it was a guest parking.

He shut the car off but didn't move to get out of the car. The silence that had been there the whole drive up changed instantly. It was stifling, as well as nervous and uncertain. I didn't know what he was waiting for. Was I supposed to say something, or was there something that he had expected from me? Or was he just anticipating the next...however long I shall be staying with him?

"Shall we?" Edward's smooth voice broke me from my thoughts of questioning and he smiled at me. I returned the smile before I noticed a car slow down next to us and begin pulling in to the free space.

His eyes were wide in panic as he quickly directed me to return to my bottle. I hastily followed his instructions, standing alert on the Persian rug in the centre of my room of the bottle. Listening out, I heard Edward curse and a dull thud as he placed the bottle somewhere.

His car door opened, along with another two, which were much more muted due to their distance away from me. These doors closed, however Edward's seemed to stay open. Probably to retrieve the bottle again.

"Hey guys, what are you doing here?" I heard Edward's voice ring out, echoing in the large car-park.

"Edward," I heard a wind chime female voice return. "We have hardly seen each other for ages, save for at Forks. You didn't think we'd let you get away that easily, did you?" She seemed to be teasing him from the tone of her voice.

"Of course, Alice, you never do," he replied. "Is it just you two? Or are Rosalie and Emmett coming as well?"

"They went to get a parking spot outside. You only have two here," the same male voice from outside Edward's room today said. This must be 'Jazz'.

"And we'd love to meet this lovely Bella you mentioned!" Alice added and I froze. He had already told them about me? I didn't know how to feel about that. He had only just asked me to act like his girlfriend, yet he seemed to posses more in knowledge of the plan than I was aware.

"Please, Alice, restrain yourself from acting too rashly," Edward warned her. I assumed that he was as on edge about the plan as I was.

"Fine, fine...Well, what are you waiting for, let's go up!"

"Uh, I just need to sort out some things. I'll meet you in the lobby, ok?" His tone held some of his nervousness in it and I wondered if the others could detect it. I assumed so, seeing how they could also see his expression. If they did notice it, however, they didn't say so.

"Alright, but be quick!"

I heard two pairs of footsteps retreating, echoing in the underground parking lot. Edward sighed and opened another car door, presumably to get his duffle bag, then closed it again. A moment later he called for me and I appeared in front of him again, surprising him.

"I have an idea, because there are things that we need to sort out before you can meet them, so I just want to ask, first of all, if you can...transport other places than your bottle?" Edward had an air of determination to him and his straightforwardness took me off guard.

"...Uh...yeah. I can," I answered, eyebrows raised.

"Okay, do you think you could beat us up to my apartment? I live in number fourteen-oh-six. On the fourteenth floor...could you go there and hide yourself in a bedroom? I have a plan."

"Oh! Hide and seek! My favourite!" I exclaimed quietly, jokingly, with a small grin. Edward responded with a snort and rolling his eyes before turning away.

I vanished, concentrating to find my destination before landing in the centre of a clean, cosy living room. A relatively large LCD television hung on one wall with a rack of DVDs on the floor next to it. A coffee table sat in the centre of the room with a few magazines and papers scattered over it. There was a doorway at one side of the room and at the corner of the other was a corridor. Knowing that they would be here soon, I quickly went to the doorway and peeked around the frame. There was a foyer and the front door, so I headed back the other way to the corridor, satisfied that it was the right direction.

All of the doors were open, so it didn't take long to find the bedroom.

But there were two.

I groaned, frustrated, before looking in both for signs of life. I was getting more skittish, almost as if I were creeping around in some stranger's house, anticipating getting caught.

Which was pretty much what was happening.

I groaned again.

I opted for the larger bedroom, not knowing where Edward would prefer me anyway. I silently shut the door behind me as I heard voices outside the front door. I hadn't realised that I had taken so long to sort myself out.

Turning around, I observed the room again. It had a similar style to the casual, cosy living room, and it was neat, a trait I had always appreciated.

I sat on the large king sized bed and waited.

It didn't take long for voices to get louder outside the door. I assumed they were in the living room, or walking in the corridor.

I couldn't understand what they were saying, or who it was, so I decided to hide in the bathroom again. I rushed over to the only other door in the room, turning its handle and pushing it. However, it would not budge. I became more frantic as the footsteps approaching grew louder and louder. My endeavour to open the door was forgotten as I saw a shadow pause in front of the bedroom door. I froze, watching the door as the handle began to slowly turn.

What had I gotten myself into?

**

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A/N:** So, I told you guys that I'll soon be free... And that time has come!!!! Oh my goodness, it is such a wonderful feeling. I am no longer a high school student. Muahahaha! It's great. So, this would hopefully mean faster updates. Though that also depends on how fast I write....but it'll be all good. *thumbs up*

Ok, I'm babbling. Let me just thank everyone who reviewed, I really appreciate it. And I have gotten some alerts and favourite stories, but I ask if you'd please review, give me some feedback. Leave me some love! :D


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I do not own 'Twilight'.

**Woman in the Bottle**

**Bella**

I thickly swallowed as I awaited someone to open the door and discover me.

More footsteps hurried down the corridor and the handle of the door loosened as the person holding on lessened their grip before dropping their hand. My heart raced.

"Alice! What are you doing?" I heard Edward hiss on the other side of the door.

Alice sighed. "I just wanted to pop in and say hi," she said with a dejected tone, and I could sense a little pleading to it.

"I know that face, Alice, and I won't fall for it. I'm practically immune to it."

"I can still try," she replied fiercely, dropping her facade.

"Yeah, and fail," Edward said with, judging from his tone, an eye roll.

Alice growled before there was bustle outside the door. I was thoroughly confused and on edge as the handle began jiggling.

"Stop...it...I told...you....she's...sick!" Edward said between pants, as he fought with Alice.

By now I was turning back to the door I had previously abandoned to yank at it roughly with more urgency.

"Ow, Alice, that hurt!" Edward said amongst the conflict, and a part of me was finding this amusing despite the situation I seemed to be stuck in. "You're freakily strong for such a small person, you know?"

"Grrr," I heard Alice utter before the fighting escalated slightly. I wondered why the others weren't helping out by stopping them.

The door still wouldn't budge and I eventually realised that there was no more scuffle. I waited a moment and heard nothing, so decided to approach the bedroom door to investigate. Slowly walking over, I watched my feet closely, not wanting to trip at the worst moment, before reaching the door and placing my ear gently against the wood.

I could not hear anything except for muffled voices, which irritated me that I couldn't clearly listen to what they were saying. Sighing in defeat, I slumped against the door and closed my eyes, feeling tired after everything that had happened. After an hour or so, footsteps sounded down the corridor, heading in the direction of where I was and I quickly stepped away from the door before it opened.

"Hey," Edward whispered as he closed the door behind him and put his duffle bag beside the door. "I told them I just went to check on you."

I nodded slowly, confused. "And you told them I was sick, why?"

He pursed his lips as he looked over my shoulder before meeting my eyes. "Knowing my family, they will question us about every aspect of our supposed relationship until the cows come home, and I figured it would be best to buy time for us to discuss the facts. Otherwise we may get things mixed up."

I hadn't thought any of this through and understanding filled me. If they had asked about when we had gotten together, or how, or something along those lines, I'm positive it would become extremely awkward if I had said one thing, and he another.

"Ok," I said, dragging out the word. My eyelids felt heavy and the bed was looking so wonderful and soft and comfortable, but I didn't think Edward would appreciate it if I made myself comfortable in his bed. "Do you have my bottle with you? I'm tired and think I'll call it a night."

He frowned. "I thought you were going to stay in the guest bedroom. If you would have preferred it, anyway," he hastily added.

That sounded infinitely more appealing. My smile must have answered his question because he, in turn, smiled. It then abruptly dropped.

"Sorry, I think I accidentally left your bottle in the car." He grimaced. "Do you want to quickly fetch it?"

As useful as that could be, I wasn't allowed to.

"Genies aren't allowed to handle their bottles. I think it's symbolic or something for the power that masters have over us." I rolled my eyes. "Or not even that. Anyone can really touch it except us genies who reside inside it. What does that really say?" I went on bitterly.

I looked back to Edward to find him watching me with an unfathomable expression. His eyes, however, spoke volumes. They were intense and I could see irritation, unhappiness and sympathy swirling in the green depths, among other unidentified emotions.

"I'll just get it in the morning then."

I nodded.

"When can I go to the guest bedroom?" I asked, craving peaceful slumber.

He sighed. "As soon as they go. You can sleep here in the meantime. Make yourself comfortable," he said before turning and leaving the room without another word or glance.

**

It was like I was floating on clouds. Soft, billowy, heavenly-scented clouds. I smiled and sighed in contentment before turning over on the bed. I shot upright not a second later.

Examining the room, I found that I was still in Edward's room. Confused, I looked at the clock on his nightstand to find it was only half past five. It was early morning, still dark outside, and I wondered where Edward was. Why didn't he wake me earlier? Where was he at the moment if I was in his bed?

I slowly got up and, for once, used my powers to change into sweats and a t-shirt after having fallen asleep in my jeans. It was very uncomfortable.

My hair was messy and knotty, and running my fingers through it only made me wince. Putting it off to fix later, I inched my way to the door slowly. It was rather difficult, seeing as how it was still rather dark, and I stumbled, tripping over an invisible object on the floor. I picked myself up, hoping I didn't disturb Edward, wherever he was, and opened the door tentatively.

It was also dark in the hallway, and the rest of the house, so when I made it to the kitchen, I turned on one of the lights. Everything was shiny, polished and beautiful. It was large, with an island in the middle with the counters and cabinets lining the wall.

A trembling coming from my abdomen, with an accompanying growl told me how hungry I was, so I conjured up some breakfast. I decided on French toast, so made a large plate appear, stacked with the scrumptious breakfast meal. I got my own smaller plate and helped myself. The rest was for Edward.

After eating I was becoming rather bored. I cleaned up and wondered around the apartment before finding bookcases filled with books. This captured my interest and I found myself absorbed in a novel of my choice.

"Good morning," Edward said not long later.

"Hey," I nodded, briefly lifting my eyes from my page to greet him before they froze, fixed on his figure.

I silently ogled him for a while until he shifted awkwardly and my eyes flashed up to his reddened face. My face rivalled the redness of his.

"I made breakfast." He raised an eyebrow. "Fine, I made breakfast _come here_," I corrected rolling my eyes and he smirked in amusement.

He came back in with a plate of the French toast and a glass of orange juice a minute later and settled on the couch, placing his beverage on the coffee table in front of him.

"So what are your plans for today?" I asked conversationally, hoping I wasn't somehow prying or something.

"Well, I have one class this afternoon. So I'll have to head in after lunch. If you want, you can come and explore or something," he said before taking a bite of food and watching me warily.

I brightened up at the offer and unconsciously snapped the book on the lap shut. Edward chuckled at my excitement and shook his head.

"But I believe that we do have some things we should discuss."

My mood deflated slowly after that, worry increasingly evident in my demeanour. Did this mean that he was going to put a whole lot of restrictions on what I can do? I wouldn't blame him if he did, as I had put up with a lot less, but if he had let me get my hopes up only to shoot them down...I would not be a happy camper.

Edward seemed to have read the expression on my face before he quickly explained himself. "Relax, it's for the same reason I didn't let Alice, Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie speak with you yesterday even if they could have. I thought it would be best to get our story straight. You know, how we met, how long we've been together, etcetera, etcetera."

I visibly relaxed and smiled, which he returned. I waited for him to start speaking, but he seemed to be waiting for the same thing from me.

"Uh..." I said pathetically.

"Ok, maybe we should start with when we met," he said. I nodded and he looked at me hopefully.

I shrugged. "I wouldn't have a clue. I haven't even been around the city before."

"Alright...How about we meet at a cafe? That seems some place believable, seeing as how I frequent them a lot." He smirked a little bit.

I nodded happily and thought for a moment. An idea came to me. "Is that okay with you if I get a job? If you don't mind, that is. I mean, I would like to, but it is ultimately up to you so—"

"Of course you can. I really don't know the rules of when you're staying with...someone, but you are completely free here and you don't need to ask my permission for these things." I had a feeling that he was going to be repeating this to me a lot. It was strange to fully absorb and accept.

"Thank you," I whispered shyly, touched at his kindness.

"So, we met at a cafe, you are a student," he said this as a question and continued to my nod, "who is studying..."

"Um...I think I might want to study...English literature or something. I like to read it, and write, so I think it would be appropriate."

Edward looked mildly surprised before his expression turned neutral, aside from the corners of his lips turning upward.

"Really? That's great. You know Emmett is actually the editor of the university's newspaper. He may be able to get you a job there, if you want to try."

I hummed and nodded noncommittally. It wasn't definite.

His smile grew. "With what Emmett is studying, who knows? You might be able to bond with him."

I smiled, hoping it convinced him. This idea made me feel nervous and pretty terrified. I knew that when we finally met the people most important to him, it would be the ultimate test for our acting skills, and if I shared a common interest with him – or even got a job working alongside him, it could indeed mean more bonding time, which only meant keeping up the charade for that much longer.

"How long ago would you say we met then?" I asked.

He finished his food that he had been eating between his parts of the conversation and placed his plate on the coffee table in front of him before picking up his juice and cupping the sides of the glass and staring contemplatively into its depths. After a moment he sighed and took a sip before returning my curious gaze.

"Well," he started off slowly. "I'm just trying to work out what would be considered appropriate that you moved in with me." I nodded, urging him on. "And you said you were eighteen." I nodded again, humming in agreement. "You'll just to be a late enrolment or something. And we'll say that we met in June after you finished high school. You wanted to get settled in Seattle with a job before you began classes then we met."

I nodded. "I'll arrange my place there." I had something in mind. "So then we dated for a few months and I moved in after that?"

"Yeah, we'll say you moved in a week or two ago. We don't want it to seem too early or something, however, I really wouldn't know what would be considered early or normal or whatever," he mumbled the last part to himself.

I stayed silent as I watched him contemplate our story and situation. He had his eyes focused straight ahead looking outside the window, but he didn't seem to really see beyond. After a moment he snapped his eyes back to me again, startling me with the intensity of his green depths.

"So what do you think would be a feasible reason for me not telling them about you for so many months?" Judging from his posture, he seemed sure there was no believable reason that would satisfy his family.

I pursed my lips, wanting his beautiful smile to reappear on his face.

"I don't know." I looked at him apologetically. "We'll come up with something."

He nodded.

We discussed more of the details about our 'relationship' for a little while longer before he decided he needed to get ready for his class. I also had to get ready.

Edward thanked me for the breakfast and cleaned up his dishes before nodding politely to me and heading into his bedroom. I went to my bottle which was still in his car.

In the confines of my bottle I thought about my new master. I was relatively happy with him. He didn't seem bad and was polite and kind. However, I didn't know how things would continue. What my masters wished for often reflected their true selves. I guess now it was just a waiting game until he made the first move on his wishes before I could catch wind to his true self.

I wanted to shower, but I would ask Edward about using his facilities later. I pulled a pair of jeans, long sleeved shirt and a sweater out and changed quickly before throwing my hair up into a pony tail. After years of isolation in my bottle, I guess my appearance really didn't make it on the list for my top priorities.

As I returned, I heard the shower turn off, and soon Edward came out, looking as wonderful as ever, and we prepared to leave.

He locked the front door behind us and I stood in the hallway awkward until he led us to the elevator. He pressed the button for it to come to the floor and the silence stretched on. It wasn't uncomfortable; it was that we just didn't have anything to say. It continued down to the car which he unlocked with the button on his key and we both hopped in.

"So how many...people have you granted wishes for?" Edward asked as he pulled out of the car park and onto the street.

"How many masters have I had? Six. Including you." When I turned to look at him, he was frowning. "What?"

"Must you really call them that? _Masters_." He said the word distastefully, as if it was an expletive. "It's not like they're superior to you in any way. In fact, they'd be inferior, what with all the power you have."

I shook my head sadly. "I agree with you for the most part. I don't like the position I am in. But there is really nothing I can do to change things, and in all actuality, they were, and you are now my _master_. And the powers I have are only to please my masters." I let out a shaky breath and looked out the window, whispering to myself, "I just get lucky when someone kind comes along."

Though I had spoken the last part to myself, Edward seemed to have heard as I felt his hand cover my forearm and squeeze gently. It was such an intimate, tender gesture, but I still felt wholly comfortable with it despite Edward still being practically a stranger to me. I knew that however long I had with him would not be something horrible to endure, but an experience I may find to enjoy.

Soon he released his hand to place back on the steering wheel and I felt lighter than I had earlier. It could probably be credited to Edward who seemed to have some ability to making me feel comfortable. I had a feeling deep inside me that assured me he would not act like any other masters I have encountered.

He drove for a bit before he pulled into a parking space in a lot. There were many elegant looking buildings around and handfuls of people walking on the sidewalk.

Edward got out of the car and I quickly undid my seatbelt to follow, but by the time my hand reached the doorhandle, he was opening my door for me. I had grown up in an older time and was glad to see that even in modern times, chivalry was not dead. My smile grew.

"What do you think?" Edward asked me.

I looked around me in wonder at the university campus and my excitement grew exponentially. Edward must've read the look on my face because he laughed, pulling me along. I hadn't even really realised that he was holding my hand, but I figured it was good practice for when we were around his family if he wanted to keep the charade up.

I was suddenly led into a building, making my view of outside cut off. I frowned but realised we were in some office with a few ladies working behind a counter. One was helping out another student but the exchange ended a few seconds later, letting the woman to look up at us.

"Hello, what can I do for you today?" she asked politely.

"Yes, hello," Edward said smoothly, completely oblivious to the effect he had on the woman, who had frozen and was watching his lips. When he paused, she quickly snapped out of it in an attempt to keep her professionalism, but her red cheeks were her giveaway.

I realised that Edward was waiting for me to talk, seeing as how I said I'd arrange for my placement. I gave a nervous smile and said, "Hi, I've just been transferred here?" It was as if the validity of our charade would be confirmed with this woman. If she denied my place here, then our plan would likely come tumbling down behind us.

The understanding look on her face and small nod she gave before searching for my paperwork was all I needed. My shoulders relaxed and I could feel my tenseness of my body leave me. Edward's fingers rubbed soothing circles on my hands and I directed a weak smile at him in relief. I knew that things would work out just fine.

**

* * *

A/N:** Has she spoken to soon? We'll find out later.... muahahahaha....

I don't know a single thing about how all this works – about transfers in uni, or late enrolments, or _anything_. I just decided that Bella could use her wonderful powers to manipulate the situation to suit herself. Heh heh.

Please review. You know you want to. ;)


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I do not own 'Twilight'.

**Woman in the Bottle**

**Bella**

"Are you sure you'll be alright for a few hours? You could always zip home if you want?" Edward asked as we stood outside the lecture hall. His lecture was starting in a few minutes and he was concerned to be leaving me on my own, especially with my newness, not only to the area, but to this modern society in general.

I really appreciated his concern, but the idea of experience a little bit of independence was too good to turn down, so I reassured him the best I could.

"I'll be fine. I can easily take care of myself...thanks to my _advantages_." I knew I wouldn't use them unless absolutely necessary due to my dislike for my lifestyle, but Edward wasn't currently aware of that.

"Ok, I'd better get going. Remember, I'll meet you at that bookstore I pointed out at four." With that he smiled and entered the hall.

Walking away with a spring in my step, I scanned my surroundings, taking in everything. I took a deep breath, relishing the taste of freedom, as corny as that may sound, and let my feet guide me. A light breeze blew, and despite the sun, it was rather cold. After all, it was October.

I wandered past small shops and cafes on a street close to the university campus, watching customers interact with one another, some laughing, some talking, some studying, and some just staring aimlessly out the window. A small cafe called out to me and, deciding a warm beverage might do me good, I entered the shop.

The bell above the door announced my entrance and I quickly shut the door quietly behind me, not wanting to attract any more attention. However, the shop was very empty; only a few people were seated in the comfy looking armchairs and sofas, and they barely spared me a glance.

After a moment of surveying the place, I walked up to the counter while perusing the chalkboard menu above it. I had a little bit of money that Edward had given me in my pocket. I felt bad about that, but he had insisted when I had reluctantly admitted that I had none because I wasn't allowed to manifest it unless it was one of my master's wishes.

"Hey there, can I help you?" the guy behind the counter asked. He was tall and tanned with a bright smile and shaggy hair. He had a warm smile and was relatively good looking.

"Oh, hi. Uh...can I please have one hot chocolate?" I asked politely. As stupid as it may seem, I hadn't done any of this before so I felt uncomfortable and nervous. I suddenly questioned whether it was even a good idea to come in here at all.

"Sure," the guy said happily, fingering the edges of the cups. "What size would you like? Small, regular, large, grande?"

"Umm..." I stared at the sample size cups that he pointed out as I debated which one to pick. Of course, just as I was about to pick one, the guy had to make it more complicated, probably thinking he was helping me. Not that I could blame him, his words would probably help any other person other than me.

"Most people go for the large, seeing as how small is practically children's size and regular is too small for people wanting their caffeine fix, but grande is only fifty cents more than large, and during cooler times like today people usually pick grande. Did any of that help?" He paused and I could feel his eyes bore holes into my forehead as my face was cast down staring that these stupid cups. "Hey, you look a bit overwhelmed."

My head shot up and I spluttered nervously while trying to get out my decision. "Large. I'll just take a large."

He smiled back widely and grabbed a large cup and wrote something on it. "What's your name?"

"What?"

"Your name. So you know it's yours when it's done."

I looked around the practically empty cafe. I didn't understand why this was necessary, but I humoured him anyway. "Bella."

"Bella," he repeated while scribbling it down on the cup. He then put it down and recited the price of my drink. After I paid the correct amount, with me fumbling awkwardly and giving the notes bewildered looks, he took the cup and began work on the drink. I didn't know what to do, so I just waited by the machine he was behind.

"So," he said after a minute. "Are you new around here? I haven't seen you before."

I figured since it was such a large city with so many people, and with students surely milling about the cafe, that not seeing me was understandable, but I shrugged and nodded. "I just transferred here," I offered simply. I watched my finger tracing invisible patterns on the counter to hide fidgeting that gave away my discomfort. I didn't know if I was doing a good job because if he noticed, he didn't show it.

He eyed me. "Are you a freshman?" he asked with a friendly, knowing smile while working the knobs on the machine.

"Yep."

"Hmm, I didn't know you could transfer at this time. I thought it would be at the start at each semester. Oh well," he shrugged. "What are you studying?"

"Engglish lit," I replied hesitantly.

"Really? That's cool. I'm studying mechanical engineering. I'm a freshman too."

I smiled. He was very nice and I figured it wouldn't be too bad if I already knew someone who would be in a class or more with me, but it was a pity that he was studying something completely different to me.

I looked down at his nametag. 'Jacob' it read. "Well, Jacob, it was nice meeting you," I said as he placed my drink in front of me.

His smile grew, exposing more of his white teeth. "Bye Bella! Maybe I'll see you around?"

I gave a small smile and a wave as I left the cafe, not answering his question. I was happy that I was already fast on the way to making a new friend, despite the fact that I may not see him again. It was nice to know that I had basic social skills.

As I took sips from my cup, relishing in the warmth that spread through my body as the liquid ran down my throat, I continued walking around, observing everything going on around me. I passed a few clothes stores and decided that one day soon I should visit one and buy my own clothes. It would give me a sense of satisfaction knowing that I didn't have to continue to rely on my powers for those kinds of things.

I made my way towards the bookstore, before sitting down at a bench outside to finish my hot chocolate. It had already cooled a bit and I wanted to finish it before it began to taste bad.

It was nice to just continue to people watch. I hadn't done a lot of it, considering my residence in a bottle, and the most I had seen people interacting was on television series I had seen.

Once I finished my drink, I began making my way to a rubbish bin a few metres away before heading into the bookstore when I collided with a small person. I began to stumble sideways, trying to keep a hold of my empty cup, before the person grabbed my wrist to hold me upright.

"I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going," the familiar voice said and I looked down to a small woman with short, black, wild hair and soft, yet sharp, facial features. She was beautiful and I blushed when I realised I hadn't replied.

"That's ok. I'm generally rather clumsy anyway. I probably would've fallen even if you weren't there for me to bump into."

She laughed and eyed my empty cup. "I guess it's lucky that you already finished your drink then, eh?" I nodded and chuckled before she smiled warmly at me. "I'd better get going. I need to go corner my brother now." She chuckled in a mock evil way, causing a laugh from me, before joining in herself. With one last wave, she walked away.

I laughed to myself, shaking my head. What a friendly woman.

I entered the store, instantly feeling at ease. It was a warm, cosy bookstore where it was encouraged to just pluck up a book and curl up on a plushy sofa to read it. It had a homey atmosphere, and I felt less nervous about applying here.

As I made it to the girl behind the counter, I smiled. She was pretty, with honey brown hair thrown up into a messy pony tail, and a warm smile. "Hi, I was just wondering if you had any jobs available here?" I asked quietly.

She returned my smile before nodding. "Actually, yes. My parents actually just handed over most of the responsibilities of the store to me, so I was going to put up some notice regarding that. You just beat me to it. I'm Angela by the way," she introduced herself.

"Bella," I returned. She smiled and gestured for me to join her on some chairs close to the counter. She relaxed in hers, pulling her feet up underneath her and resting an elbow on the armrest, while I perched on the edge of mine with my hands under my thighs.

"So where was your last job?" she asked, seemingly doing an impromptu job interview. This last thought immediately caused my palms to sweat, and my heart to race.

I shifted nervously. "I actually haven't had a job before," I admitted truthfully, hoping there was still some chance she'd find me suitable for the job.

She nodded with a smile. "Let me guess; over expectant parents that wanted you to work hard in school to get into a good college?" She didn't wait for my answer before she went on. "My parents were like that until I finished senior year high school and had a place here. Then they gave me work in their shop – this shop – over the summer and into the school year."

"Yeah, I would've liked to have gotten a job earlier, but it wasn't a possibility for me at the time," I said. And it was true. I could hardly work when stuck in a bottle...

She hummed then gestured around the shop. I looked around, wondering what she was doing. "So you enjoy reading then?"

"I love it. That's pretty much all I do in my spare time," I said shyly, a blush lighting up my cheeks at the admission that I was a total bookworm.

"Great!" she said enthusiastically. "Then I think you'll feel right at home here. Welcome to the job!"

I must have shown the surprise on my face because she laughed loudly. "Oh, don't look so surprised, Bella. I think you will fit in just fine here. You seem like a really genuine person and I'd love to have you as a part of the staff here," she said kindly and I blushed again at her praise.

"Thank you, really. You have no idea how much this means to me." She waved me off with a smile, standing up. I followed suit.

"When can you work? I'll still have to hire someone else to help out, and they can fit in around when we work."

I gave her all the information she needed about my schedule and my contact info (stuff that I had also gotten from Edward earlier) before I thanked her and went to browse the store to wait for Edward.

I walked through the aisles of the store, my eyes skimming over titles, and I would occasionally pick out a book to read the back of it. It was nice to have so much selection, so many choices. Whenever I wanted to read while in my bottle, if I didn't have anything in particular in mind, I would have to search online for recommended books before manifesting one. A smile graced my lips at the feeling of doing something 'normally'.

"Hey, what are you smiling about?" a familiar voice asked me.

"Edward!" I said excitedly, yet quietly, spinning to face him with a smile on my face. I took note of the happily puzzled expression on his. His lips quirked up, seemingly happy at this response, and he raised an eyebrow in question.

"I got the job!" I whisper yelled with a grin.

"Congratulations, Bella!" he said before he pulled me into his arms, hugging me. I felt overwhelmed in his embrace. His smell was intoxicating, and I could feel the hard planes of his torso, but I lifted my arms to hug him back.

No one had hugged me for years. Masters didn't see me as anything other than a genie, a granter of wishes, least of all a friend, and seeing as how I hadn't interacted with many others, I had sorely lacked any form of physical affection. I didn't realise how much I had missed it until Edward put his arms around me. I relished in the feeling of his hug. He gave me a gentle squeeze before releasing me and looking down at me with a smile. I felt so proud to have caused that smile.

I beamed at him and he shook his head and chuckled.

A voice came from behind him, causing him to stiffen, his eyes narrowing.

"Ah, so it seems it isn't only my brother I am cornering." And that same mock evil laugh followed (though I wasn't sure if this time it really _was_ a mock one), coming with the realisation of exactly _who_ I bumped into earlier.

**

* * *

A/N:** This chapter is shorter than the others, but...oh well.

Thanks for the reviews for last chapter. I'm so happy! That was a record for one chappie, dearies! Keep 'em coming!!!


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I do not own 'Twilight'.

**Woman in the Bottle**

**Bella**

Edward turned around with a menacing glare to face the same small woman whom I had collided with earlier.

"Hello, Edward," she greeted him, seemingly unfazed by his anger, before turning to me. "And so we meet again. You must be Bella," she said with a warm, friendly tone.

I smiled nervously and nodded. "And you must be Alice. I've heard a lot about you."

"Really? Because I'm sad to say I haven't really heard a lot about you..." She raised her eyebrows, her eyes shifting from me to Edward in a silent question.

Edward ignored this. "I thought I told you that you guys could meet Bella on our own terms?" he said angrily.

Alice shrugged, looking very relaxed considering the confrontation that she was taking part in. "It wasn't actually my intention to bump into the both of you today, just you. Meeting Bella was just a bonus." She grinned at me and winked. "I saw you enter this bookstore and followed you in here to invite you guys over to dinner at Jasper and mine tonight."

He let out a large breath, conveying frustration, and a frown touched his forehead. "Again, with you guys meeting Bella on our terms, not yours. She needs time to adjust to the idea of meeting with the lot of you. You _are_ a bit overwhelming." He smirked.

"I think she's had plenty of time to get used to the idea of meeting the boyfriend's family," she replied icily to him, seeming to snap like a rubber band, mood-wise.

I immediately felt bad at our scheme to fool his family into thinking I was his girlfriend. The charade probably made the both of us seem so deceitful and secretive by Edward supposedly 'hiding' our relationship for all those months. Especially when we were up to the 'moving in stage', it only makes things more serious, and people more upset. The guilt settled on my shoulders and I knew that unless things were revealed, I would not feel any lighter.

Edward looked sheepish under Alice's gaze and put an arm around my shoulder. "I'm really sorry, Alice. You know I am." He exhaled loudly before saying, "Fine, we'll be there. Just warn Emmett not to say anything stupid. I know him."

"Good. Thank you." She walked over to him and gave him a hug, which he returned with his free arm, before walking around him to me. "It was really nice to meet you, Bella."

"You too, Alice. But I am really sorry about...you know..." _Lying to your face? Yeah, sorry about that._ I looked down ashamed.

"I'm sure you guys have your reasons...which we'll all be happy to hear tonight." She smiled largely. "See you guys at six!"

She walked away with a spring in her step, exiting the store before disappearing from view. Edward and I stayed silent for a minute or two, staying with his arm over my shoulders. After a moment he sighed and released me, bringing his arm back, sliding his hand along my arm in the process. His hand eventually met mine, which he squeezed in either comfort or reassurance, before he let go and ran his hand through his hair.

"Don't feel bad. It's my fault. I can't believe this. I'm so stupid," he chastised himself and gripped a handful of hair and tugged in frustration. "I could've just told them that you were my roommate and all would be well...why did I tell them you were my girlfriend again? Why?" He looked so angry with himself and I really didn't want him to go prematurely bald so I placed my hand on his which was pulling his hair, to try to loosen his hold.

"Edward," I hissed, because his hand was strong and my touch seemed to be ineffective at the moment. "Stop! You're not stupid. Remember, you didn't want to date Tanya? That's why I am your supposed girlfriend," I whisper yelled to him, making sure no one else around was there to hear. Since I wasn't helping, I sighed and let go of him, dropping my hand. A moment later he dropped his. Rolling my eyes, I said, "This will be hard now, but I think we can get through this. It'll need more work for us to be totally comfortable around each other, but we can do it." He nodded. "I still feel bad, though."

Edward frowned. "But you shouldn't—"

"I am still part of this so I am shouldering an equal amount of the blame here."

"They're my family. I've known them longer and will know the full effect of my lies."

"Lies are lies none the same, and no one likes them. So...let's just stop discussing this and get onto happier topics."

But we stayed silent the whole way back to Edward's place – I would have to get used to calling his place 'home' – however, it was not an awkward silence. It was as if both of us were in our own worlds, thinking about our own issues and how to deal with them, just going through the notions of getting home at the same time.

"When do you classes start again?" Edward broke the silence. My eyes, previously fixed outside the passenger side window of his car, snapped to him and I watched his face, wearing an unfathomable expression, before I registered his words.

"Oh, uh, my first class is tomorrow. I had one today, but it was this morning. So I missed it." I shrugged. I'd manifest all the catch up notes I'd need after the dinner with his family.

"Oh."

"Yeah." Edward parked the car in his spot in the garage again and turned off the car. Neither of us made a move to get out. "Do you have classes tomorrow as well?" I asked.

"Yeah," he responded softly, before reaching the handle of his door and jerking his head in the direction of the elevators, simultaneously saying, "let's head up."

When we got into his apartment, we plopped down on his couch, staring mindlessly at nothing. After a moment Edward moved to get up to turn on the television hanging on the wall, but I halted him, earning a questioning look from him. My head was leaned on the back of the couch and I just looked at him before looking at the tv and turning it on. I then looked at him with an impish grin, hoping to cheer both of us up after our low moods.

"Oh," he said, chuckling a little, relaxing back into the comforts of the seat. His eyes were a bit wide. I guess for others it seemed a bit of getting used to.

"Tell me about yourself, Edward," I said lazily, eyes fixated on the screen but seeing nothing.

"What do you want to know?" he asked curiously. He shifted himself so that he was facing me, with one of his legs bent up on the couch, his foot tucked underneath his other leg.

"I don't know. Did you grow up in Forks?" I mirrored his position and rested my cheek on the back of the couch.

"Yeah, my parents wanted to live in a small town. Sure, it was kind of boring, but we managed. It's nice to live in a larger city for a change. We all like it."

I hummed and nodded.

"How old are your siblings?"

"Emmett is one year older than myself, and Alice is the same age."

I frowned. Alice and Edward, despite both being beautiful, they didn't look alike.

Edward answered my silent question. "I was adopted by my Aunt Esme and Uncle Carlisle. My parents were too young to bring me up, so I went to my mother's sister. We still keep close contact, though."

"So then, who is Tanya to you guys?"

He seemed reluctant to answer questions relating to this topic, but I waited expectantly anyway.

"Her family goes way back with my family. We all grew up together. Since my teenage years Tanya has been...pursuing me. And my family – mainly my parents – have tried to push me into a relationship with her. I think they were worried about me," his tone and expression turned thoughtful.

"Worried about what?"

"Nevermind." He spoke quickly, but I dropped it, to his relief.

It was silent for a little bit as we thought over all that was said. Well, me thinking about it while Edward watched me absorb it.

"Hang on; you said it was mainly your parents who were pushing you into a relationship, correct?" my tone was one seeking clarification. He nodded. "So," I let in a grin, "why don't you tell the others that I am not your girlfriend, so they lay off a bit yet still keep you away from Tanya?"

I couldn't read Edward's face after I made that suggestion. His mouth had parted, his eyes had widened, and his eyebrows had risen considerably. He was silent the whole time, so I decided to just let him think about it for a little while, so I turned back to the tv.

_The Simpsons_ was playing on the screen and I smiled happily. It was the episode where Apu told his mother he was already married to get out of his arranged marriage. He posed as Marge's wife for a little while until his mother found out. I frowned. This seemed to have some parallels to our story. Though Apu's ending turned out happy. Would ours?

By the time Edward came back, the episode had ended and _Futurama_ had started. Despite my internal protests, I turned away from the screen and listened to the opinions he had to offer.

"Okay," he started off slowly. "I think that would help if we had some people on our side. And it would ease the guilt," he tacked on with a sad face.

I didn't know what to say, so I stayed silent, offering my silent support to whatever he chose.

"Okay, let's get to Alice and Jasper's early tonight."

**

It wasn't even a few hours later that we had to start getting ready to leave. The time had flown by so fast and now we were off to try to persuade Alice to help keep the facade up. Edward assured me that Jasper would go along with anything that Alice chose, so as long as Alice was on board, Jasper was, too.

Rosalie, Edward explained, would be different. She is a good friend of Tanya, so he said that she might be a bit hostile at the dinner, so we were not going to let her in on it. Nor Emmett, as he also apparently follows Rose, even if he may not entirely agree.

By the time we had pulled up to another nice looking apartment block, I was feeling nervous. My palms were sweating, so I wiped them on my jeans, until I felt a hand on my forearm.

"It'll be fine." He seemed hopeful. "I'll do all the explaining, so you don't have to worry about a thing."

I couldn't say anything without making some horrible squeaking sound, so I nodded, before we exited the Volvo.

**

We were sitting in silence as Alice absorbed all the information we had just dumped on her. Jasper seemed to be lost in thought as well, staring off into space as he gently rubbed Alice's knee. Her brows were furrowed and her gaze seemed to be fixed on the floor by our feet.

I glanced anxiously at Edward, not happy with the direction that things seemed to be going. I could only imagine the anger that I may be faced with if she senses that I was causing some kind of...hindrance of familial communication....or something like that.

Edward gave me a weak smile, trying to appear reassuring, but failing.

"So," Alice began slowly. She cleared her throat before looking at us, flickering between my eyes and Edward's. "Let me get this straight. _You_" –she pointed at me— "are _his_"—she pointed at Edward—"new roommate. And _he_"—point—"said that he had a girlfriend already so he could put a stop to Tanya's advances and asked _you_"—point—"to act as if you guys are together?" She waved her pointed finger between both of us then dropped her hand and then melted into her seat at my nod. "I see."

Jasper seemed to decide that he would let Alice do the talking as he just moved his touch from her knee, to running his hand through her short hair. She sighed, eyes drooping a little.

"Why didn't you just tell Tanya you weren't interested?" she suggested, though seeming to know the answer before he spoke.

"We both know that wouldn't have stopped her. Besides," Edward lowered his voice before darting his eyes to me and his face turned slightly pink, "Emmett..."

Alice let out a delicate snort of laughter and Jasper was fighting to keep a straight face, but the upturning of his lips gave him away. "You know he was just messing with you when he said that," Alice said, amusement evident in her voice. "Carlisle and Esme don't _really_ worry about that."

I was getting curious as to what they were talking about, especially as Edward frowned, but I kept reminding myself that I was the outsider and had no right to pry my way into their business. _However, it is the situation that seems to be pulling me in_, I reasoned with myself.

"Don't worry," Jasper interjected with a smile, "they'll be happy for you no matter what you choose."

Edward's scowl deepened, but the two sitting opposite us seemed unfazed as they laughed.

"Anyway," Alice continued, "I appreciate you guys telling us, but was there a particular reason why, or..." she trailed off with a question in her voice, eyeing us with raised eyebrows. Thankfully Edward was going to take the reins with this one, because I had no idea what to say.

Edward looked at Alice hopefully. "Actually, I was hoping you guys could help..."

I was waiting for Alice to answer, but, to my surprise, Jasper spoke up first.

"No. I'm sorry, but I don't want us to be dragged into such a complicated, messed up situation." He frowned and spoke firmly, shaking his head slightly, but looked apologetically at us.

Alice sighed as Edward slumped. "I..." she hesitated and gave us sympathetic looks. "I can see the mess you guys seemed to have made and know that when the others find out the truth, they'll be either hurt or pissed, but I can see why you did it. Perhaps if Tanya hadn't been pushed onto you so much, you wouldn't have been driven to such extremes..." Alice looked away and held one of Jasper's hands tight in both of her own before returning our gazes. "I understand that you had good intentions." She smirked. "Whether it being to reassure us all of your sexuality," Edward scowled and tensed at this one, and Alice's expression turned soft, "or to ease Esme's worry about your loneliness. Or maybe this was some kind of strange bonding exercise between roommates, but nevertheless, I understand you mean no harm, and so I shall help you."

Jasper sighed in defeat but didn't seem too put out with her decision, and Alice gave us a cheery smile. We knew that with Alice in, Jasper would follow, no question.

"Thank you, Alice," Edward groaned in relief, capturing locks on his hair in his fingers as he leaned forward and pressed his palms against his forehead.

"Yes, thank you," I murmured quietly, utterly grateful to her.

"Now," Alice said, expression turning thoughtful, and Edward looked up, attentive again, "Emmett wouldn't mind, but we still can't tell him, as he would tell Rose. Rose can't know because she is close to Tanya, and both of them would be mighty pissed if they found out about this."

We all nodded.

"So what do your parents think about you, an eighteen year old girl living with a twenty year old guy?" Alice asked curiously and I tensed up minutely. I knew that they would be asking many questions and I'd have to get used to making up a story, but it still put me on edge whenever I had to fib to them.

"My parent's passed many years ago. My..._ guardian_ would be fine with it."

"Oh, I'm so sorry if I brought up painful memories, I didn't know—"

I held up my hand and told her it was fine, before conversation turned to a lighter topic. I began to grow more comfortable and relaxed in their presence. Edward, Alice and Jasper shared stories with me, and we laughed and talked, and I liked getting to know these people. They managed to include me, despite the newness of me in their lives, but didn't push me for information when it came to my own life. Edward was the only one who knew the real truth about my origin – the basics, at least.

It was not long later that there was a knock on the door, causing me to jump. I had completely forgotten that we were to expect Alice and Edward's other sibling Emmett, and his girlfriend, Rosalie. Thoughts of Rosalie pretty much dissipated my relaxed mood as I anticipated hostility due to her connection with Tanya. However, a part of me hoped for openness, and kindness from this woman, and I prayed she would be accepting and welcoming.

Alice and Jasper rose from their places on the couch to open the door. Edward pulled me up by my hand, sensing my anxiety, and squeezed my hand. Initially, I was grateful that Edward was using his presence and touch to comfort me – which, I noted, worked very well – until I realised that it was just because we had to revert back to the charade again.

Edward rubbed his thumb in small circles on my hand to soothe me, but he must have sensed his ineffectiveness, for he brought both my hands into both his own and lowered himself down so his eyes were level with mine. I blushed at the intimacy of his actions.

"Bella," he spoke so softly, whether not to worsen my emotional state, or to prevent eavesdroppers from listening in, I don't know, "you need to relax. Everything will be just fine. We're in this together and we'll help each other out. Trust me."

Even after he stopped speaking, we continued to look into each other's each, but not in the sappy way that couples do. It was like he was looking into my soul, as I was his, like I was reading _him_, and I could see the reassurance there and that was enough to overcome my unease. My shoulders relaxed and Edward gave me a warm smile before he unexpectedly leaned over and kissed my cheek. I flushed again as Alice and Jasper re-entered the room, with surprise on their faces, along with the two other guests. I could feel tingling at the place Edward placed his lips, and I enjoyed it immensely.

The tall man had a large grin on his face as he greeted Edward then myself, making a jab at Edward's sexual preferences (again), that I would normally have chuckled or smiled at, but I could only manage a strained smile.

For it was the blonde beauty standing at the doorway, watching me with a look of utter disdain on her face that completely confirmed my fears. I internally sighed in defeat.

This was going to be a long night.

**

* * *

A/N:** So, is that what you expected?

And I just had to add in the Simpsons thing. :D

Uhm...sorry for the long wait. Reality took a tight hold on me for a while.

Also, I know that right now Bella and Edward are just being friendly and cooperative to make their situation work, but soon they'll be drawn more to each other, and will get together. So be patient!

What do you think is going to happen next?

Please review.


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